Scottish Executive

Bridges

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is a contractual obligation on AMEY Highways Ltd to employ a full-time bridge attendant in connection with the maintenance of the Kincardine Bridge; if so, whether such an attendant has been employed, and, if not, why no such attendant has been employed.

Sarah Boyack: There was no requirement in the term road maintenance contracts for the South East Unit for AMEY Highways Ltd to employ a full-time bridge attendant in connection with the maintenance of the Kincardine Bridge.

  However, the contract requires weekly inspections of the Kincardine Bridge, which the Executive believe to be sufficient to enable any potential problems to be identified.

Bridges

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether lighting to assist motorists has been operational on the Kincardine Bridge every night since AMEY Highways Ltd became responsible for the maintenance of the bridge and, if not, whether it will detail any dates when no lighting was provided, specifying the reason in each case.

Sarah Boyack: The road lighting on Kincardine Bridge is at the end of its useful life, much of it dating back to 1936 when it was first installed. AMEY Highways Ltd has experienced intermittent problems with the road lighting since they took over responsibility for maintenance of the bridge. On 11 May 2001, the system failed completely and an investigation attributed the problem to the outdated electrical equipment. Following repairs the lighting was restored on 28 July 2001. However, as a result of a fire on the timber jetty, the lighting was switched off on 3 August 2001 as a safety precaution at the request of the Fire Brigade. After further inspection and testing the lighting was restored on 5 September 2001.

Bridges

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how regularly and by whom locking bolts/pins and expansion joints were checked for the local authority responsible for maintenance on the Kincardine Bridge prior to the contract being awarded to AMEY Highways Ltd and how regularly and by whom these points have been checked since.

Sarah Boyack: Prior to April 2001, when responsibility for maintenance of the Kincardine Bridge passed to AMEY Highways Ltd as part of the trunk road maintenance contracts, this responsibility lay with Falkirk Council on behalf of the Forth Local Authority Consortium. As part of his duties in connection with the Kincardine Bridge, adjacent depot and the emergency bridging stock depot at Bandeath, a Falkirk Council employee walked across the bridge each working day to check for obvious defects. This superficial inspection included the expansion joints. The moving components of the bridge’s opening mechanism have been immobilised and unable to move since 1988. There is therefore no need to inspect them outwith the formal inspection cycle by specialist bridge staff. The frequency of checking for the locking bolts by Falkirk Council is unknown.

  AMEY Highways Ltd carry out weekly routine inspections for the carriageway, including the expansion joints, as part of their contractual duties. This frequency is considered adequate for this type of bridge component. The locking bolts will be inspected as part of the formal inspection regime for the structure.

Care of Elderly People

Mrs Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will respond to the Care Development Group’s report and recommendations.

Susan Deacon: I welcome the Care Development Group’s report which is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre. I congratulate the members of the group for the excellent work they have done. They have come forward with a series of sound recommendations for the sustainable implementation of free nursing and personal care for all older people.

  The investment of £125 million we have already pledged enables us fulfil our commitment to implement free personal care beginning in April 2002.

  The group supports the principle of free personal care, welcomes the financial provision we have made and makes specific recommendations on the definition of personal care and on how assessing people’s need for care must be built into the system for delivering personal and nursing care.

  They have recommended a definition of personal care which is in line with that taken by the Royal Commission.

  In defining personal care, the group has endorsed the need for people to continue to pay their own living and accommodation costs.

  They have recommended the removal of all charges for personal care in community

  For those in care homes currently meeting their own costs, the group has recommended that they should receive a payment of £90 per week for personal care and a further £65 per week if they need nursing care.

  We welcome all of these recommendations and believe they provide a fair and workable approach.

  The group also recommended further investment in improvements to services in the community to address the gaps and deficiencies that currently exist and to meet future demand for services from an increasingly older population.

  There is now a great deal of work for local authorities and others to do so that older people can benefit from the unprecedented investment we are making. I therefore intend to establish an Implementation Steering Group to begin work immediately with local authorities, the NHS and the independent sector to develop common arrangements that will enable free personal and nursing care to be delivered as an integral part of the care services older people need.

Children’s Hearings

Bill Aitken (Glasgow) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases were dealt with under the children’s hearing system in (a) 1998, (b) 1999 and (c) 2000 and, of these, how many were referrals on the grounds of offending behaviour and how many were in need of care and protection.

Nicol Stephen: This is a matter for the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration (SCRA). The information requested is not held centrally.

Civil Servants

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to relocate civil servants to Inverness.

Angus MacKay: In line with the relocation policy, ministers consider a range of suitable locations when relocation opportunities arise. No particular areas of the country are targeted, nor are any ruled out. Inverness will be considered along with other locations.

Enterprise

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the sums expended and committed to date from the £10 million allocated to the Motorola task force.

Ms Wendy Alexander: I announced in Parliament on 25 April that the Executive would set aside up to £10 million to fund measures which may be required by the closure of Motorola’s Bathgate plant.

  To date, funding has been called on to deliver the activities detailed in the Motorola Task Force’s Action Plan. The Action Plan, submitted by Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian, was drawn up by local agencies to deliver an appropriate and comprehensive package of support.

  Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian has produced a monitoring report for the period 1 April - 31 July, which shows total costs to date of £1.4 million (£0.4 million actual; £0.6 million committed; £0.4 million absorbed). These figures cover the first four months following the announcement, during which time a significant portion of the workforce remained on-site.

  We will continue to provide additional resources to fund a range of training and supports over and above those provided by local agencies through their existing budgets. Over 800 people have secured alternative employment and 1,600 people are currently being supported through task force training.

  There are around 700 workers still to leave Motorola whose training and support needs are currently being addressed. This may result in further calls on funding which will be considered as they arise.

Environment

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps have been taken to ensure that nitrogen dioxide levels fall below an annual mean of 40 micrograms per cubic metre in towns and cities.

Rhona Brankin: The Environment Act 1995 requires local authorities to carry out a review and assessment of air quality within their areas and take action where air quality objectives are unlikely to be met within a set timescale. These requirements are set out in more detail in The Air Quality Strategy for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.  In such cases the authority must declare an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) and draw up an action plan that sets out the steps it intends to take in pursuit of the objectives. The objective for NO 2 is an annual mean of 40g/m 3 to be achieved by the end of 2005. To date two AQMAs have been declared in Scotland (Aberdeen and Edinburgh) with Glasgow expected to follow shortly. All three are based on traffic-related NO 2 emissions.

Health

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHSiS appointments with (a) consultants and (b) GPs patients failed to attend in each health board area and health trust in each of the last three years, expressed as a percentage of all appointments in each case, and what the cost to the NHSiS of missed appointments was in each year.

Susan Deacon: The only data held centrally on missed appointments is the number of first consultant out-patient appointments not attended. The percentage who did not attend for each of the last three years by health board area and health trust can be found on the Information and Statistics website ( http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/isd/ship/home.htm ). The Scottish level is shown:

  


Year to: 
  

Did Not Attend Rate of First Consultant 
  Out-patient Appointments in Scotland 
  

Number of First Consultant Out-patient Appointments 
  not attended in Scotland 
  



31 March 2001 
  

11.3% 
  

120,000 
  



31 March 2000 
  

11.3% 
  

129,000 
  



31 March 1999 
  

11.1% 
  

126,000 
  



  Note: 2001 data is provisional.

  The average cost of a consultant out-patient appointment is £72, which would imply that the total cost to the NHS of these missed appointments could be as high as £8.6 million a year. In practice, the cost is likely to be less than this because clinics may schedule additional appointments to allow for failure to attend by a proportion of patients.

Housing

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether local authorities require authorisation from it to lease out heritable property for a period of 99 years to any organisation for either a nominal or a full rent and, if so, what rules and conditions apply in relation to such authorisations.

Peter Peacock: Local authorities only require ministers consent under section 12(7) of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987 if they wish to dispose of housing or housing land from their Housing Revenue Account at a full rent. For the criteria and disposals at less than best price I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-7981 on 28 June 2000.

Local Government Finance

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost was of the DTZ Pieda research project on a community ownership information pack carried out on its behalf.

Ms Margaret Curran: The cost of the DTZ Pieda research project on preparing a community ownership information pack was £9,950 excluding VAT.

Police

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the safety camera project being piloted by Strathclyde Police which allows them to retain the money raised through fixed-penalty speeding fines will be extended to other police force areas.

Sarah Boyack: The extension of this project is currently being considered by the police, local authorities and other potential partners, the Executive and the United Kingdom government.

Population

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the long-term implications are of the continuing decline in the Scottish birth rate.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish birth rate has been declining since 1960. This general trend is in line with the pattern in most other advanced industrial countries, although the birth rate in Scotland has declined more significantly than the rate for the UK as a whole. Actuarial predictions suggest that the Scottish birth rate will remain fairly constant over the next 20 years. As with any demographic trend, there will be a range of implications from the fall in the Scottish birth rate.

Population

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive why the Scottish birth rate is continuing to decline year on year; whether it is possible to reverse this trend; if so, whether it would be desirable to do so and, if so, what steps it will take to achieve this.

Susan Deacon: The birth rate in Scotland has been declining for a number of years, from 19.2 per 1,000 in 1960 to 10.4 per 1,000 in 2000 (figures from GRO Scotland), although it is predicted that the rate will remain fairly constant up to 2021. The birth rate has fallen over the same period across almost every advanced industrialised country as people exercise their private and personal choices over family sizes. The Scottish Executive does not consider it feasible or desirable to attempt to influence this trend.

Public Transport

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give a detailed breakdown of how the £500 million investment over the next three years in public transport referred to in its announcement of 18 June 2001 will be spent.

Sarah Boyack: Spending Review 2000 provided an additional £500 million to the overall transport programme. The reference to public transport in the Press Release of 18 June was incorrect.

  The additional funding overall was incorporated in the Executive’s spending proposals for transport, set out in the Annual Expenditure Report which was published on 30 March 2001. The report detailed our planned expenditure on public transport over the three years to March 2004 and included £150 million for the Public Transport Fund and some £540 million to support rail services across Scotland.

Public Transport

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the EC Regulations currently under consideration by the European Parliament on the award of public service contracts in passenger transport and what representations it has made or plans to make to the European Parliament regarding these regulations.

Sarah Boyack: I have been working closely with the Department of Transport and the Local Regions (DTLR), which has the lead on this draft regulation. The Scottish Executive’s position has been incorporated into the briefing DTLR has prepared for UK MEPs. The draft regulation has a long way to go through the EU process and the Executive will ensure that Scotland’s interests are reflected through the UK stance throughout these negotiations.

Rail Freight

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with English, Welsh and Scottish Railway and Scottish Enterprise Lanarkshire with regard to expanding the Eurocentral rail freight facilities; what contribution such an expansion could make to its targets for moving freight from road to rail, and what representations it intends to make to the Strategic Rail Authority on this matter.

Sarah Boyack: No approach has been made to the Scottish Executive by either English Welsh (EWS) and Scottish Railways or Scottish Enterprise Lanarkshire (SEL) about the expansion of rail freight facilities at the Eurocentral terminal. However, I understand that discussions are on-going between EWS and SEL on the development of Eurocentral.

Rail Freight

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what research has been commissioned to inform rail freight policy and when the results of any such research will be made available to the Parliament.

Sarah Boyack: In April, the Scottish Executive commissioned consultants to carry out a study to take a strategic view of the potential for developing sustainable freight movements across the whole of Scotland. The outcome of this study will assist in the forthcoming discussions we are to have with the SRA to develop a Freight Strategy for Scotland, as part of its Great Britain Freight Strategy. The work is due to be completed in October and it is intended that a summary of the findings will be published thereafter.

Rail Services

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-14515 by Sarah Boyack on 9 April 2001, when an announcement will be made with regard to the funding of the proposed Larkhall to Milngavie rail link.

Sarah Boyack: On 27 August, I announced that the Executive is taking forward the Larkhall to Milngavie rail route project in partnership with Strathclyde Passenger Transport. Jointly we will provide £23 million to build the link. Discussions are now under way on the detailed implementation of the scheme.

Road Safety

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of Scotland’s road network has a level of skidding resistance lower than the investigatory level set out in the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges .

Sarah Boyack: The percentage of Scotland’s trunk road network which has a skidding resistance lower than the investigatory levels as set out in the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges is 13.7 per cent.

  Local roads are the responsibility of local authorities.

Road Safety

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are being taken to identify any areas of Scotland’s road network which have a level of skidding resistance lower than the investigatory level set out in the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges .

Sarah Boyack: The skidding resistance of the whole of the trunk road network is measured every two years. The results of the survey are then compared against the investigatory levels set out in the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges . Those sections of trunk road which are below the investigatory level are then assessed further to consider whether they require to be put in a prioritised treatment programme.

  Local roads are the responsibility of local authorities.

Road Safety

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are being taken to ensure that no local authority roads have a level of skidding resistance lower than the investigatory level set out in the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges .

Sarah Boyack: It is entirely a matter for each council, as the local roads authority for its area, to take the appropriate action.

Roads

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the construction of the M77 Fenwick to Malletsheugh scheme will proceed to completion within the timetable laid out in Travel Choices for Scotland – Strategic Roads Review .

Sarah Boyack: Subject to outstanding procedural matters being satisfactorily resolved, construction is planned to start in 2002-03 and, in line with the timetable laid out in Travel Choices for Scotland – Strategic Roads Review , I anticipate the work being completed in 2005.

Scottish Executive Publications

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost was of the publication, including the design, photocopying, printing, internet connection of text, distribution and launch, of Scotland’s Freshwater Fish and Fisheries: Securing their future .

Rhona Brankin: The total cost to date, including design, printing, placing on the Executive website, distribution and launch, is £1,800.

Skye Bridge

Mr John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-8632 by Sarah Boyack on 14 August 2000, what legislation permits financial details of the Skye Bridge contract to be subject to commercial confidentiality.

Sarah Boyack: The contract documentation relating to the Skye Bridge project includes, as part of the main Concession Agreement between the Scottish ministers and Skye Bridge Limited, a confidentiality clause which requires both parties to the agreement to hold in confidence all documents and other information supplied by and on behalf of the other party.

Transport

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the ministerial statement by the Minister for Finance and Local Government on 28 June 2001, why there has been a net reduction of £26 million in the 2002-03 and 2003-04 transport budgets and what impact this will have on the delivery of transport priorities.

Sarah Boyack: The adjustments to the transport programme, which are to fund other Executive priorities, are set out in the following table. The SPT adjustment will bring provision in line with payments due under the franchise and is not expected to affect operations and services. Small reductions in the roads programme and on the Integrated Transport Fund will not have a significant impact on the delivery of our transport priorities. The additional funding in 2003-04 will be used to fund a pilot scheme for Child Pedestrian Training and to assist with modernisation of the road haulage industry.

  


Programme 
  

2002-03 (£ million) 
  

2003-04 (£ million) 
  



Motorways and Trunk Roads 
  

- 5 
  

- 10 
  



Strathclyde Passenger Transport 
  

- 5 
  

- 5 
  



Integrated Transport Fund 
  

- 
  

- 5 
  



Other Transport Programmes 
  

- 
  

+ 4 
  



Net Change 
  

- 10 
  

- 16

Water Safety

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-17048 by Rhona Brankin on 13 August 2001, how many nominations for identification as bathing waters the Bathing Waters Review Panel examined during 1998-99 and how many nominated sites were not subsequently identified as bathing waters due to (a) an insufficient number of people using the site and (b) a lack of information on the number of people using the site.

Rhona Brankin: 80 nominations were received, but some bathing waters were nominated more than once, so that 66 individual bathing waters were nominated. The independent Bathing Waters Panel made recommendations resulting in 37 new identifications. Of those which were not recommended for identification, in 14 cases no evidence of use was supplied. In the remaining cases, either insufficient evidence was presented, or information which did not convince the panel either of its quality, or that it was representative. The knowledge, either personal or professional, and the considerations of individual members of the panel, which led to the final list of recommendations are not, of course, matters for the Scottish Executive.

Water Safety

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive,  further to the answer to question S1W-17046 by Rhona Brankin on 13 August 2001, what plans it has to require information regarding the bathing water and the water quality record to be displayed at every beach that is used for bathing.

Rhona Brankin: While signage has been put in place at many bathing and recreational waters by organisations such as local authorities and water authorities, the Executive has no plans at present to require information on water quality to be displayed.